How to Find the Best Registered Agent in Washington

The primary role of a registered agent in Washington is to be the point of contact between a business and the Secretary of State so that they know someone is available to accept legal notices and important documents such as:

• Certificate of Formation – also known as the Articles of Organization
• Articles of Incorporation – documents that a corporation files upon formation
• Annual report fee – due by the end of the business’ anniversary month
• Certificate of Existence– proof of good standing in Washington
• Business and occupation tax – due from Jan. 31 to Apr. 15

The Secretary of State allows you to appoint anyone in Washington to be a registered agent for free as long as they meet the registered agent requirements.

• Yourself
• Family member
• Employee

The appointment of an outside professional registered agent service costs a business between $50 and $500 annually.

Section 5 of the Certificate of Formation form will ask for the registered agent’s information.

• Is the agent a registered commercial agent?
• Type of registered agent (individual, entity, office, or position)
• Registered agent’s phone number
• Registered agent email address
• Registered agent address

The registered agent you appoint must consent to the appointment by signing the Certificate of Formation form.

The statement of resignation form will ask you to provide certain information.

• Business name
• ID number
• Registered agent name
• Registered agent address
• Registered agent mailing address
• Statement of resignation
• Date
• Signature

• Your Washington business remains in compliance

A business in Washington state must remain in good standing to maintain asset protection.

Noncompilkance happens when an organization submits the annual fee late or fails to respond to a summons.

If you appoint a registered agent service, you’re ensuring that you don’t miss critical due dates and lose your liability protection.

• You’re removing your personal address from public record

It’s common for small business owners in Washington to work out of private offices or from home addresses.

A business owner that appoints themselves as a registered agent risks the personal address becoming a public record.

Anyone can search the Washington Corporation Search using:

When you appoint an outside registered agent, you can list the service address in the Washington Office of the Secretary of State Corporations and Charities Division.

• You can avoid embarrassment

A process server can come to your Washington place of business to serve the service of process.

Appointing a registered agent from outside the office ensures that sensitive documents are accepted away from the office, providing you peace of mind.

• You’re in control of your own work schedule

According to the Revised Code of Washington, a Washington registered agent must be available during normal business hours to accept official correspondence from law firms and the Washington Department of Revenue.

By appointing yourself, you are responsible for being available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.

A professional registered agent service has resident agents available during the required hours so you can make your own work schedule.

• 24/7 online access to the Washington Certificate of Existence

A financial institution will ask that you provide them with proof of good standing with the Washington Secretary of State.

The Certificate of Existence is proof of good standing in Washington.

The best registered agent services give business owners constant access to the Certificate of Existence and other formation documents making doing business conveniently.

• LLC expansion becomes easy

If you expand a Washington LLC into a different state, you will be required to appoint a registered agent before business formation.

The registered agent you’ve already appointed allows you to start the foreign LLC formation process as soon as possible.